Difficult Love Fanfic
by quivering-pens4931
Summary: This is my dedication to the Jackunzel/Jelsa Shipping Wars. Three people; one, difficult love. Maybe later on with other ships (Rainbow Snowcone, PeriJack, etc.) but mostly for those two ships. Song-fic warning. May have minor cussing later on, but nothing else. Please rate and review.


"Rapunzel wait!" Jack called after the retreating brunette, whose tears threatened to spill from her emerald eyes. Sprinting after her, he finally managed to catch up to her and grasp her wrist. She gasped at the touch, and felt a fleeting feeling where his hand touched her wrist ever so gently. "Please." He begged, managing to catch his breath, dropping her wrist and leaning over. Rapunzel softly placed a delicate hand on his back, so he could breathe completely normal again. When he stood up straight, her hand slid down dangerously close to the back of his pants and then off of Jack. "Please…let me explain." His blue eyes met hers and she immediately couldn't feel the ground beneath her feet. This is always how Jack made her feel, even after he had to sprint off after her.

She could still feel the gentle heat on her wrist where his hand had been, and they stood in silence, staring at each other. "No Jack…I understand. Really, I do and there's no big deal about it." She reassured him, but this wasn't enough for him.

Taking her hand and pressing it in his, Jack answered, "No. You might have lost your hair, but you can't lie to me. You're a horrible liar to begin with." He cracked a small smile, which in Rapunzel's case was always contagious. His smile widened as she tried to fight back her own smile before it faded as he added, "Listen…about everything lately. I'm so sorry, I never meant to hurt you or anything like that it's just…"

"No really Jack I understand everything. You're together now and I shouldn't be involved in any of it. It's not my business, and you can just stay with Elsa. It's fine, besides I know how you feel about her and it's no big deal." Rapunzel replied to Jack, but not gathering enough willpower to separate hands with her best friend. Feeling her heart beat faster as he looked into her eyes with his intense, sapphire orbs, she looked down. Ever since they had both suffered medical phenomena that neither of them could explain, they'd both been friends through thick and thin.

Using one of his hands to gently turn her head back towards his, he looked down at her. Her eyes were beautiful, but so full of a sadness that shouldn't be there. "Rapunzel…I'm so sorry that I caused you any hurt…I never meant any of that to happen. She was so nice, and she was so new—"

"—And that's why you fell for her Jack. All of the good people like you do that. They show kindness when they do that, and you were just helping her out. But now, it's more than that. We both know that, and it's best if we just…give each other some space, alright?" Rapunzel interrupted Jack, and his hand dropped from her face, as she took her hand out of his. Clasping her hands together and giving him a weak smile, she added, "Maybe it's better this way. You two seem happy together, and I would never want to get in the way of that. Goodbye, Jack." She finished, turning away from him and walking away, tears threatening to spill forth. When they did, she began to jog off, trying to hide her face from the world as she left behind a very confused and unhappy Jack.

Leaving Jack behind was one of the hardest things that the young woman had ever done. She remembered all those times in the hospital, when she had lost all her hair to a strange condition the doctors decided to treat with chemotherapy. Only Jack, her parents, her dead foster parent, and her ex knew. Her ex shunned her for being different, calling her weird, and after she lost her ability and her blonde hair, he left her, saying he didn't know if she was going to make it or not. Her foster parent, Gothel, had died in a tragic accident and used Rapunzel's condition for her benefit in any way she could. Her parents loved her, but did treat her slightly different when she was a blonde. Now, they treated her like any normal girl. But they were afraid to lose her again, and this time, she wouldn't be coming back.

Only Jack had been the one kind enough to see through the condition and her health. Only he had been able to visit her in the hospital, when the doctors wouldn't allow her to walk. Having the same problem, Jack had been hospitalized after suffering a phenomena similar, and yet different to her own. He had gotten into a car crash, landing in an icy lake, and he managed to save his sister by shoving her out the door and onto the road before the car struck through the ice and was submerged. People searched for his body, and they had found him, not breathing, but still a faint heartbeat. One that had not existed a few moments ago. He was taken to the hospital, and the first thing his now blue eyes saw, was the full moon, seemingly smiling down upon the young man.

Weeks later, his test results came back showing strange phenomena, and his hair began to gray out, turning a silvery white. It was as if age had gripped him when he was only eighteen, and his chocolate brown eyes had been transformed into sapphire blue ones. People called him a freak, and sometimes, she wondered if he stayed in the hospital, because he thought he was a freak. One night, she even heard him yelling and screaming at his own reflection in a mirror, breaking down to tears. Although she was forbidden to walk, Rapunzel managed to make it to his room and comfort him where she could, and they sat there, for as long as they could; just holding each other. She held him as he shook with sobs and tears, and later they were inseparable.

The day he was released from the hospital, he only came right back to give Rapunzel flowers from the florist two blocks away. He stayed with her all day, and the doctors were puzzled at him coming back right after he was supposed to have gone. He spent many days with her, and held hands with her, told stories to her, all until visiting hours were over. This went on for weeks, and she was finally able to grow her hair back, but this time, it was a chocolate brown instead. Telling her that he used to be a brunette lifted her own spirits, especially after Eugene broke up with her two weeks after starting chemo. Jack was always there for her, raising her spirits and doing random acts of kindness towards her. Her head was in the clouds, and she didn't want to come back down.

Not even hiding her emotion from her parents, Rapunzel made a mad dash for her room the moment she arrived at home. She shut herself in her room, and her parents called after her, made an attempt to ask what was wrong, but she would not answer them with words. Only silent tears. Eventually they left, leaving her to deal with her grief alone in her own way. The way she had dealt with it long before they had re-entered her life and flipped it upside-down. She sat on the cloth bench by her room's window, her favorite spot in the entire world.

The window took up half the wall, even in its little nook, big enough for Rapunzel to sleep near if she were comfortably curled up. Jack knew he could always find her there, on the outside, or if he asked her parents first. Knowing she was usually with Jack or in her room gave her parents peace of mind, it gave her an escape from the world. But Jack was not outside the window, and she was a fool to believe he would be. But that did not mean she couldn't wish.

Her Romeo, her Prince Charming, would have been right outside her window, tossing tiny pebbles at the windows. Sometimes he brought rubber bouncy balls, and when she wasn't allowed to leave her room, they'd play catch and just talk to one another. Rapunzel remembered a time when he climbed up the siding of the house and kissed her on the lips for the first time. Then she remembered laughing at him pretending to lose his balance just so he could hold her hand and have her help him. Knowing that he would do anything to win her beautiful smile, he always messed around, bringing her flowers in his teeth once, even though they were sometimes thorny.

One time when he climbed up, they kissed for a long time and she would remember every detail for the rest of her life. Now she could only imagine him tossing pebbles at her window, begging to come up and hold her, kiss her, and just be with her like old times. A faint smile appeared on the petite brunette's face, but it soon faded as she remembered. Jack was gone, and would always be from her.

Her heart ached with lust for his kisses, how his lips were cool and sweet. How he would touch her so gently and with such care. Tears once again began to stream from Rapunzel's already red eyes, and she got up and shut the curtains loudly. She couldn't dwell on her memories with Jack anymore. Not any one of them. Not even the ones she loved the most, none of them. Oh, how it drove the knife deeper into her heart. Shuffling over to her bookshelf, she gazed at the pictures she had with Jack, taken by her camera that her parents had given her after treatment. They had told her, "Take pictures of your adventures after you get better, and you can keep them forever." That is exactly what she did.

One was from a few months ago, when she was just released from the hospital. When she had brown hair that barely reached her shoulders, but the smile was the same. Jack had hoisted her onto his shoulders and he had run down the beach with her like that. She couldn't help but laugh as one of their friends took the picture. There were so many other pictures, of just him, of them together on the Fourth of July, kissing under the fireworks, everything. Then she came and ruined everything.

Elsa, the new girl at their school had the exact same physique as Jack, near same condition as him. Closer to him than Rapunzel was. She understood him better, because she had been born with the condition he received. She had soft icy blue eyes, a gentle smile, light blonde hair that flashed in the sun a gold color. She constantly wore gloves because of her condition, but when Jack told her she could take them off, she let go. She was her true self; sweet, but unrestrained. Sometimes she would be rude to Rapunzel, but most of the time she was rather sweet. She was unbridled, no longer needing the gloves for her condition. Her sister Anna...she was another story.

Moving in immediately for the kill, Jack saw Elsa on the first day and got quite acquainted with her. When they weren't together, almost the entire school asked why they weren't hanging out. They were practically meant for each other, so why shouldn't they be? To Rapunzel, they seemed like the exact person. Jack was protective of his sister, and he saved her from a terrible fate. Elsa seemed to have done the same a few weeks ago, hurting her sister and sending Anna to the hospital with a contagion Elsa had given her. Her disease was different from Jack's, and Rapunzel knew it. So why did she feel so horrible about the other girl?

They were great friends, aside from the fact of Jack. For Rapunzel, Elsa was just a copycat of Jack. He had been there first, and Elsa had came along and torn them apart. Why did she have to rip the brunette's heart out of her chest, and take away her best friend? Her chest was shaking with silent sobs yet again, and a lone whimper or two escaped, but Rapunzel did her best to be quiet. She didn't want her parents to hear, because she would have a lot of explaining that would be too painful to even think about.

With all her strength, she lowered all of the pictures down, laying them on their faces so she wouldn't have to feel the pain anymore. It wasn't just her heart aching, but her soul. As if someone had taken the moon from her sky and put it somewhere else. Somewhere she could no longer reach it. She spent the nights alone and cold, away from her precious moon's light. Jack had been the moon of her life, and she his sun. He often called her his "Sun" or "Corona", and it would always make her smile. How desperately she missed his voice, his breath on her skin, his words that were so sweet, they put sugar to shame. But she couldn't help but imagine that's what he was doing to a blonde right about now, far away from here.

Stalking over to her door, Rapunzel pressed her back against it, and slowly slid down until she reached the floor. She was curled up, wishing she could just cut her heart out to take away the pain she felt. Her quiet sobs gave her more frustration, and she opened her mouth in a silent scream, gripping her hair in her fists. Why did it have to be this way? Why? Why couldn't she have something decent in her life for once? Why wasn't she the girl that got everything? Like those princesses in the movies with their happy endings. Why wasn't that her fate?

Looking up towards her ceiling, she felt her cheeks burn from the salty tears that had long dried up now. Rapunzel felt her eyes begin to close, exhausted by this ache that her heart was going through. Memories flooded her head, and she wanted them to stop. She could do this. She was strong enough, she could get through this. What truly hurt her was the people that said she didn't belong with him. Instead, according to fate, she was meant to be with Eugene. He was kind and sweet, but he was scared of a relationship with her unstable, and naive ways. He needed stability, and she was a grenade; ready to blow.

She remembered that on her birthday once, he took her out to the lake and rowed a boat out there, just so he could surprise her. He had brought lanterns so they could release them into the sky together. Rapunzel could remember his touch, the feel of his hand on her face as he pulled her in for a kiss. His hand wasn't as gentle as Jack's was. It was sweet, and warm, but it could never replace what Jack made her feel like; even by just talking to her. He would never know how much she cared for him, but she could never love him like she would Jack.

Stop it. Stop it all, don't think about him. Either of them. It isn't fair to yourself, and it isn't fair to them either. Whether they know or not, your heart has been through so much; she thought quietly. Wishing that she could be with them was hard to avoid. She knew Eugene wouldn't want it, but Jack would. He would curl up beside her, share her tears, and kiss her on her hair. He would tell her that everything would be okay. That they would have things that would make just her feel better. Jack offered to do so much for her, just to be with her, just to spend time with her.

But when Elsa came, Rapunzel felt like Dorothy. Only backwards. Jack was her world of color, her light in the darkness that kept her in one piece. When the storm came, it sucked the color from her world, depriving Rapunzel of what she needed, and longed to feel. Rapunzel didn't hate the young woman, but there was something that she couldn't get past with her. Whether it was Elsa's own walls, or the competition that both girls put into motion over Jack. She wanted to make peace with the girl, but how could she when she could hardly overcome her own demons?

A few weeks ago, there was a formal school dance that they were all invited to attend. When Rapunzel was feeling sick, she decided to stay home and told Jack that. He at first said he would stay with her and munch on snacks while watching some old comedies as usual. Then two days later, Jack had news that he was taking Elsa to the dance since she was new. Although Rapunzel brushed it off, she took it with a grain of salt. She never understood what the big deal was about the dances that the school put on anyways.

Since she decided to go after all, feeling much better in the evening, in all her haste; she forgot Jack was taking Elsa. She dressed up for him, in the most beautiful dress she owned, and donned on the makeup look that Jack loved. All for him, because that was all it had ever been. Of course he told her she always looked beautiful, but she wanted to do it for him always. When she had gotten there, they had already started with the slow dances. Her heart shattered when she walked into the dance and saw Jack and Elsa dancing so close to each other...holding each other.

That...that was supposed to be her. She couldn't help but think that. Eugene offered to dance with her, and she did for about half of the song. She couldn't take it anymore, making an excuse to leave. He walked her to her car, gave her a brotherly-kiss on her scalp that surprised her, before she convinced him that she could drive home on her own. As she drove home, she couldn't help but remember what she had seen. The image was branded just behind her eyes, so not matter when she closed them; she saw Jack and Elsa together, smiling and being the happiest two people there.

Now, as she sat in her room, a new batch of tears falling from her puffy, emerald eyes; she couldn't think. She couldn't process the pain anymore. Her heart could take no more. "Jack…" She whispered. "Why…?

AN:

Alright, so guys, to any of the internet people that actually took the time to read this, I thank you for doing that. I apologize for forgetting to take the lyrics out the first time, and I wish I could go back and redo that part of history, but I can't because I'm not the Doctor, and frankly, that is NOT elementary my dear, dear Watson.

Again, I am so sorry, I know and understand what the rules and terms are, it's just people make mistakes from time to time, and that was one of mine. I will be posting the two other chapters soon, and I will update my other things later, like my Mericcup one, and I will be adding maybe a few more one-shots :)

But, as this is a Jelsa/Jackunzel thing, please don't forget manners here. I do not accept trolls here, unless you happen to be made of rock, please respect my ships as I will respect yours, but I refuse to respect you if you do not return the favor. Constructive criticism is welcomed happily, as are comments about things you thought I forgot or something. Please don't be afraid to post anything in the reviews, but again, don't be disrespectful.

I will be posting the two other chapters (one of Elsa's, one of Jack's) very soon, hopefully. They will be non-lyrical, although you can probably look up the songs on a search engine or YouTube.

Again, all the lyrics are out, I am simply describing which song I used as inspiration for this chapter. Please don't bash me for using a song sung by Elsa's voice. I'm not brainless, thank you. Idina Menzel doesn't need to be in costume to be an amazing and inspiring person, thank you very much. Alright, I should be done now. Oh wait, one more thing:

The song I used for this chapter is "I'm Not That Girl" by Idina Menzel from the musical _Wicked._


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